Following its completion of the world’s first inflight connectivity (IFC) standard and OpenIFC API, Seamless Air Alliance (SAA) today announced the completion of Seamless Release 3.
The SAA was founded by Airbus, Delta, OneWeb, Sprint and Airtel and now includes technology, communications and aerospace companies from around the world. SAA is working to create an inflight experience that will seamlessly connect passengers, enable new engagement opportunities for airlines, and extend mobile network operator relationships.
The alliance’s latest development, Seamless Release 3 (SR3), was developed by 46 industry participants to provide a series of what it describes as “breakthrough discoveries” for measuring and managing the IFC experience. SR3 defines an automatic control system that compares QoS, QoE and user experience (UX) measures against an acceptable level of IFC product performance. Any difference in performance is used to adjust network resources to achieve the desired IFC experience, with minimum resources, in a closed-loop manner.
“Together with experts from every corner of the industry we are blazing new trails to help airlines deliver the premium internet service that passengers have been craving.” said Jack Mandala, CEO of Seamless Air Alliance.
In addition to the development of a new closed-loop transfer function, the project participants defined 96 new IFC measures that advance the management and control of inflight connectivity.
Gordon Shelhon, senior technology manager at American Airlines stated, “This release is taking a huge step forward. I look forward to IFC vendors’ support of this solution. It will be a game-changer for suppliers and their customers.”
With the support of a major US carrier, Seamless Air Alliance will demonstrate a secure and seamless connection to high-performance inflight wi-fi at APEX Expo 2021 in Long Beach on 30 November to 2 December (Stand 713). The team will also discuss how the IFC transfer function developed in SR3 improves passenger connectivity.
Thomas Locke, CTO of GlobalReach Technology, and chair of the Seamless Air Alliance Networking Group added, “We are at the cusp of a major transformation in relation to how inflight connectivity services are going to be experienced and consumed by passengers. This release, along with the interoperability of OpenIFC, lays the foundation for IFC vendors and server providers alike to streamline both deployment and management of the next generation of inflight connectivity services.”
The next Seamless Air Alliance Members Meeting will take place on 29 November, 2021 in Long Beach, California. Seamless Air Alliance specifications are contribution-driven by member companies. The Alliance welcomes additional industry leaders to join as members and gain access to SR3 and other Seamless Air Alliance standards.
